Rotoworld Staff

Draft Strategy

Showdown: Contreras vs. Posey

Often in the midst of your draft, you’ll find yourself deciding between a couple players at the same position. With Player Showdowns, we take two players who are closely ranked and have writers take a side and debate who should be selected first. Whose side will you be on?

We’ll offer up one Showdown per position (catcher, first base, second base, shortstop, third base, outfield, starter and reliever) here, and you can get dozens more by purchasing the 2018 Rotoworld Baseball Draft Guide. It’s an essential weapon to have in your arsenal at the draft table this spring.

If there is a Tom Brady of the baseball world, Posey is probably the guy. He has the championships and the consistent greatness and the All-American looks. But to me the fantasy upside of Contreras far surpasses Posey, especially looking ahead to the 2018 season. Posey hasn’t topped 20 home runs since 2014 and he hit just 12 homers in 140 games last year. Contreras could have challenged for 25 or maybe even 30 home runs in 2017 had he not missed a full month with a right hamstring strain. He appeared in only 117 games and still bested Posey in a range of fantasy categories. Posey will turn 31 years old in March. Contreras is just 25. And when you compare the lineups of the Giants and Cubs, the advantage easily goes to Chicago. This is an easy one for me. You’re going to have to reach at catcher in drafts this year to get someone who can provide high-level production. The position is so shallow. I’d much rather reach for Contreras. – Drew Silva (@drewsilv)

Posey

Posey’s days of being in the running for MVP awards might be over. We’ve seen his home run total go from 22 to 19 to 14 to 12 over the last four seasons, he’s now on the wrong side of 30 and he has a lot of mileage on his legs. That said, the guy is still a fantastic hitter, having put up a .320 average last season while doing his annual thing of boasting one of the best strikeout-to-walk rates in the league (61/66). Posey has batted at least .311 in three of the last four campaigns, and he figures to benefit from what should be an improved Giants lineup in 2018. Contreras could hold a significant power edge over Posey this season, but Posey will have a big average advantage and the latter is much more difficult to find these days. – Ryan Boyer (@RyanPBoyer)

Often in the midst of your draft, you’ll find yourself deciding between a couple players at the same position. With Player Showdowns, we take two players who are closely ranked and have writers take a side and debate who should be selected first. Whose side will you be on?

We’ll offer up one Showdown per position (catcher, first base, second base, shortstop, third base, outfield, starter and reliever) here, and you can get dozens more by purchasing the 2018 Rotoworld Baseball Draft Guide. It’s an essential weapon to have in your arsenal at the draft table this spring.

If there is a Tom Brady of the baseball world, Posey is probably the guy. He has the championships and the consistent greatness and the All-American looks. But to me the fantasy upside of Contreras far surpasses Posey, especially looking ahead to the 2018 season. Posey hasn’t topped 20 home runs since 2014 and he hit just 12 homers in 140 games last year. Contreras could have challenged for 25 or maybe even 30 home runs in 2017 had he not missed a full month with a right hamstring strain. He appeared in only 117 games and still bested Posey in a range of fantasy categories. Posey will turn 31 years old in March. Contreras is just 25. And when you compare the lineups of the Giants and Cubs, the advantage easily goes to Chicago. This is an easy one for me. You’re going to have to reach at catcher in drafts this year to get someone who can provide high-level production. The position is so shallow. I’d much rather reach for Contreras. – Drew Silva (@drewsilv)

Posey

Posey’s days of being in the running for MVP awards might be over. We’ve seen his home run total go from 22 to 19 to 14 to 12 over the last four seasons, he’s now on the wrong side of 30 and he has a lot of mileage on his legs. That said, the guy is still a fantastic hitter, having put up a .320 average last season while doing his annual thing of boasting one of the best strikeout-to-walk rates in the league (61/66). Posey has batted at least .311 in three of the last four campaigns, and he figures to benefit from what should be an improved Giants lineup in 2018. Contreras could hold a significant power edge over Posey this season, but Posey will have a big average advantage and the latter is much more difficult to find these days. – Ryan Boyer (@RyanPBoyer)

We and our partners use cookies on this site to improve our service, perform analytics, personalize advertising, measure advertising performance, and remember website preferences. By using the site, you consent to these cookies. for more information on cookies including how to manage your consent visit our cookie policy.